The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Take me to the river
My soul is looking for a word from God
Ooh God
Like a rose in the cold, will I rise?
I'm packing my space suit
And I'm taking my shit and moving to the moon
Where there are no rules
Wake up Mary
Have you heard the news?
You got to wake up Mary
You got the right to choose
I tried and heard the pride but the way the stars look into my eyes tonight
Tell me who can who can, who can I trust?
To get lost in your thoughts
Is a very, very complex thought
And the things that you find are surprising
It's the way you believe that becomes the very thing you see
Take a ride in the sky, it's just calling
When all your friends are gone
And the trees will burn when the comets play on
Tell who can, who can I trust?
I wanna fly, fly!
Turn around, to the stars!
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I've got to make my peace
I got to move on
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I've got to make my peace, I got to move
Just wake up Mary, have you heard the news?
Just wake up Mary, you've got the right to choose
Just wake up Mary, it's some amazing news
Just wake up Mary, you got the right to choose
Real love, I wanna feel a real love
A true love, ain't nobody got to steal love
I wanna know what it really means to be in love
Baby, just talking about a free love
Sometimes I just want to get away
Right now, I'm going on right now
Baby, baby, baby, baby
My soul is looking for a word from God
Ooh God
Like a rose in the cold, will I rise?
I'm packing my space suit
And I'm taking my shit and moving to the moon
Where there are no rules
Wake up Mary
Have you heard the news?
You got to wake up Mary
You got the right to choose
I tried and heard the pride but the way the stars look into my eyes tonight
Tell me who can who can, who can I trust?
To get lost in your thoughts
Is a very, very complex thought
And the things that you find are surprising
It's the way you believe that becomes the very thing you see
Take a ride in the sky, it's just calling
When all your friends are gone
And the trees will burn when the comets play on
Tell who can, who can I trust?
I wanna fly, fly!
Turn around, to the stars!
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
Ride, ride, ride Sally won't you ride
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I've got to make my peace
I got to move on
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I know you love me but I'm still gone
I've got to make my peace, I got to move
Just wake up Mary, have you heard the news?
Just wake up Mary, you've got the right to choose
Just wake up Mary, it's some amazing news
Just wake up Mary, you got the right to choose
Real love, I wanna feel a real love
A true love, ain't nobody got to steal love
I wanna know what it really means to be in love
Baby, just talking about a free love
Sometimes I just want to get away
Right now, I'm going on right now
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Lyrics submitted by LivingInAStateOfDreaming
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.